Weekend Edition

Topics from the Most Recent Show: Saturday | Sunday

Saturday

• Mexico's Drug War More Sophisticated, Deadlier
  Mexico's army claimed a victory this week against one of the country's most powerful drug cartels. Soldiers shot and killed Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, a top lieutenant to the kingpin of the Sinaloa cartel. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks to reporter Michael O'Boyle about the latest developments in Mexico's drug wars.
• Hackers Convene At Def Con 18
  Even Wikileaks is unlikely to penetrate the secrecy surrounding Def Con 18. That's not some Department of Homeland Security designation; it's the 18th annual convention of hackers going on this week in Las Vegas. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent and senior writer at Cnet.com, about the conference.
• Actors Retreat To Shakespearean Haven
  Deep in Wisconsin is a midsummer night's dream. The home of late theater legends now welcomes actors to refresh their art under the guidance of today's biggest Shakespearean stars. Guest host Jacki Lyden visits Ten Chimneys to watch the Bard reborn.
• 'Trek In The Park': Drama In The Final Frontier
  Shakespeare in the Park is a common summer event, lending outdoor picnics a touch of classic drama. In Portland, Ore., a local theater company has taken the concept from Elizabethan England to the 23rd century. Atomic Arts is midway through its second year of <em>Trek in the Park,</em> faithfully re-enacting episodes of the original <em>Star Trek</em> for an outdoor audience.
• Handy Tomato Recipes From A Celebrity Chef
  Scott Conant, renowned chef and host of the Food Network series <em>24 Hour Restaurant Battle</em>, shares some of his favorite tomato recipes with guest host Jacki Lyden.
• Obama Attempts Jump Start In Detroit
  President Obama went to Michigan on Friday, the "ground zero" of the recession, to kick off a campaign highlighting the turnaround in the U.S. auto industry.
• Alternative Energy And Ideas For The Auto Industry
  The long-term recovery of the U.S. auto industry will depend largely on American automotive creativity and innovation. Many industry watchers expect a new fleet of electric and hybrid cars to help buoy the U.S. car industry's comeback. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with Ray Wert, editor-in-chief of Jalopnik.com, about the restructured U.S. auto industry and the importance of design innovation and creativity.
• By Hiring Gulf Scientists, BP May Be Buying Silence
  For months now, local scientists have been out on Gulf waters, advising the cleanup and measuring the damage. But there is growing concern that some of the best minds are being sidelined, since they've signed on as paid consultants to BP.
• This IS His Grandfather's Bug, But Now It's Electric
  If the Chevy Volt's $40,000 price tag sounds a bit too steep, you could always go the do-it-yourself route of Oregon teenager Ashton Stark. He just finished a yearlong conversion of his grandfather's 1972 Volkswagen Beetle into an electric car.
• Saving Wildlife From The Midwestern Oil Spill
  A response effort is under way on the Kalamazoo River in western Michigan, where the EPA reports that a pipe belonging to Enbridge Inc. has spilled more than 1 million gallons of oil. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Michigan Radio's Rebecca Williams about efforts to save river animals.
• Syria, Saudi Arabia Brace For Strife In Lebanon
  The leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia wrapped up a visit to Lebanon Friday, seeking to cool tensions over an imminent move to indict members of a Shiite militia for the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The anticipated indictment from a special international tribunal has prompted worries about a new flare-up of sectarian violence in Lebanon. Guest host Jacki Lyden recaps the visit with NPR's Deborah Amos.
• The Spectacle Of Matrimony
  As Chelsea Clinton's pending nuptials demonstrate, weddings are increasingly notable for their amazing lack of intimacy and their evolution into industry, especially for celebrities. When you have to invite several hundred people to please the relatives or the company or Congress before you've invited even one friend from grade school, your wedding has as much intimacy as Times Square on New Year's Eve.
• Is WikiLeaks An Editor-In-Chief Or Prolific Source?
  WikiLeaks' latest disclosure relied on journalistic heavyweights to do the lifting of sorting through and presenting documents. WikiLeaks' executive editor sees the unveiling as collaboration between peers, but some journalists still consider WikiLeaks a source and not an objective partner.
• War Games Lure Recruits For The Real Thing
  A controversial Army Experience Center in a Philadelphia shopping mall will soon close its doors after a two-year pilot program. With regard to its military outreach efforts, the multimillion-dollar facility has declared "mission accomplished," but critics question the Army's version of reality.
• Holly Golightly: Breaking Rules In A Little Black Dress
  In 1961, the character Audrey Hepburn brought to life in the movie <em>Breakfast at Tiffany's</em> captured the imagination of an America on the cusp of a sexual revolution. Writer Sam Wasson shows how Hollywood made a hit out of a story about a call girl.

Sunday

• Your Letters
  Host Liane Hansen reads listeners' letters.
• Taliban Says 1 Missing U.S. Sailor Dead, 1 Captured
  Wire services are reporting that, according to the Taliban, a U.S. Navy sailor has been killed and another is being held captive after leaving their base in Kabul on Friday afternoon. NATO officials say they discovered the empty armored vehicle the two men were driving. Host Liane Hansen speaks with NPR's Quil Lawrence in Kabul.
• NPR's Liane Hansen Remembers Daniel Schorr
  For many of us who work weekends on NPR, the clacking of Daniel Schorr's IBM Selectric typewriter meant that all was right with the world. Host Liane Hansen recalls her long association at NPR with Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr, who died Friday at the age of 93.
• Gulf Fisheries' Future In Doubt
  Many fishermen and their boats are now working with BP in the oil spill cleanup effort, and the coastal waters which provide some of the most productive fishing are still closed. Even after all the oil is gone, it will likely be years before the Gulf fishing industry is as productive as it once was.
• Mortgage Aid Goes On Tour, Minus Star Player
  This weekend, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America brought its "Save the Dream" tour to Washington D.C. With lenders by its side, the group helps homeowners modify their mortgages to the point that they're affordable. But one major bank is no longer part of the "Dream."
• NPR's Susan Stamberg Remembers Daniel Schorr
  When <em>Weekend Edition Sunday</em> first went on the air in 1987, legendary journalist Daniel Schorr was asked to provide commentaries. NPR's Susan Stamberg, the program's first host, recalls first working with Schorr, as well as a brief musical moment the two shared in the halls of NPR several weeks before he died.
• Which Converted Jews Deserve Israeli Citizenship?
  A delegation of American Jewish leaders is back from Israel, where they went to oppose a bill in parliament. The group is worried the bill would give Orthodox religious authorities in Israel the power to judge which conversions to Judaism are legitimate -- and therefore which converted Jews are eligible for Israeli citizenship. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America.
• Savers, Too, Benefit From Financial Regulation
  When President Obama signed into law a landmark bill to overhaul financial regulations this past week, much of the discussion focused on protections for borrowers. But the new law is supposed to make life better for savers, too. Host Liane Hansen talks to Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax about the impact of the new financial regulation law on savers and how they may benefit from it.
• Economic Anxiety Makes City Mellow On Pot Farms
  The Oakland city council this month approved a landmark ordinance to license four large medical marijuana cultivation and processing facilities. The controversial plan could provide millions of dollars in tax revenue. But how much of this is legal, and who decides? From member station KQED, Michael Montgomery reports.
• Teen Chef Is On The Case In New Mystery Series
  In a new book, someone is killing the great chefs of Vancouver and Neil Flambe wants to know who. Flambe is a 14-year-old chef who runs his own restaurant and sleuths on the side. Host Liane Hansen speaks with author Kevin Sylvester about his new novel for young adults, <em>Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders</em>.
• Chicago Sighs As Blagojevich Finally Stops Talking
  Ever since he was marched from his home in handcuffs, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been vowing to testify in his own defense. Closing arguments in his trial are scheduled to begin Monday, but his moment never came. "The biggest lesson I learned," he told reporters, "is that I talk too much."
• A White House Tale Of Race, Politics And Videotape
  This week's Washington drama culminated in an apology from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to an employee he had dismissed just days before. Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR's Juan Williams about the latest racial controversy to bog down the Obama administration.
• Eakins' Classic 'Gross Clinic' Gets Another Look
  Have we been looking at the wrong version of Thomas Eakins' "The Gross Clinic" all along? The Philadelphia Museum of Art is restoring the painting.
• You Have The Right Of Way
  Every answer is a familiar phrase or title in the form of "____ of ____," where the word before "of" starts with the letter R. You are given the word that follows "of" and must come up with the phrase. For example, given "Saturn," the answer would be "rings."
• Your Olive Oil May Not Be The Virgin It Claims
  The next time you reach for a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, beware. A new study from the University of California-Davis found that more than two-thirds of random samples of extra-virgin olive oil didn't make the grade.